Many conductors, as they travel ’round the world, play games of Dream Team – picking the best players from top orchestras and imagining how the all-star orchestra would sound. Mostly, it’s an excercise of imagination. But Claudio Abbado, “presiding at this summer’s Lucerne Festival, has cherry-picked players from symphony and chamber orchestras, string quartets and solo rosters to form an ensemble that will be the envy of Salzburg and a thumb in the eye for the Berlin Philharmonic, from whom Abbado parted company last year. Such dreams can come true only at festival time. In permanent orchestras, maestros get along with tenured musicians of uneven temperament and with the human clay thrown up at auditions.”
Category: music
Preemptive Cuts at Boston Lyric
Boston Lyric Opera unveiled its plans for next season recently, and shocked local observers with the announcement that it will trim its schedule of large productions by 25%. Despite the tough economy, the Lyric Opera has thrived over the past decade, and has earned much praise for its artistic leadership. But donations to the Lyric are down significantly, and management decided to trim the season now rather than face a budget crisis later. But not to worry, says the company’s general director: the Lyric plans to expand its season again once finances improve.
Racing The Clock In Colorado
“Colorado Springs Philharmonic leaders formally announced nine days ago the creation of the orchestra to replace the defunct Colorado Springs Symphony, and already time is running short to carry through on their plans to present a 2003-04 season… The philharmonic is scrambling to find guest artists and secure dates at the Pikes Peak Center, work that normally would have been done months ago. If that weren’t hard enough, the organization has to quickly begin raising enough money to get the orchestra off the ground. Fundraising is tough any time but especially on such a tight deadline when community feelings are still unsettled in the wake of the symphony’s bankruptcy.”
A New Opera Masterpiece?
John Rockwell heads off to New York City Opera for Mark Adamo’s “Little Women” with low expectations and comes away believing he’s heard “some sort of masterpiece.” Almost everything in the production work, from the libretto to the music and cast. “The two styles blend effectively, the modernism not rigorously alienating and the lyricism genuine and heartfelt. Nearly all the big moments in the opera work.”
British Radio Restricts Songs During The War
British radio stations are restricting the songs they play. ” ‘We do not want to upset listeners by playing anything which is inappropriate in the current climate. We continue to monitor our output on a daily basis in light of the war to ensure we are sensitive to the expectations of our listeners’. Producers have been asked to play music with a ‘light, melodic’ feel before and after news bulletins, especially if the reports contained distressing news.”
Bringing Jazz To Rock
Trying to win fans, jazz tried hard to incorporate pop music into its bones. “But as each new attempt to bring jazz to rock failed loudly, a new generation of jazz musicians has quietly been bringing rock to jazz. In this reverse fusion, instead of applying rock’s rhythms and amplified dynamics to jazz forms, they’ve brought jazz sophistication and swing to rock tunes. The range of material being drawn from is as broad as pop itself.”
Is Salsa Dying?
“To put it mildly, salsa music is in a slump. The once-vibrant genre that has captivated audiences around the world for decades has suddenly become a backwater business, with a declining market share and extremely uncertain prospects.”
Reality Music – In Search Of The Blues
Congress has declared 2003 as the Year of the Blues, commemorating the 100th anniversary of an encounter that may have produced the first written account of blues music. And the blues is enjoying something of a resurgence in popularity. But some worry that the authenticity of the music is being compromised…
San Francisco Opera Cuts Staff, Budget
Struggling to solve its financial situation, San Francisco Opera has cut $5.2 million from its budget. Six jobs were cut, and production cutbacks were made. “In addition to the $2.8 million in savings projected from the staff cuts, SF Opera director Pamela Rosenberg has approved $1.8 million in savings in production expenses, including travel, material and construction costs.”
The Hermit Who Wrote A Hit Opera
Not for years has a new opera wowed the critics and enthralled the public as Danish composer Poul Ruders’s opera of Margaret Atwood’s “The Handmaid’s Tale” has done. “Premiered three years ago in Copenhagen in a staging by Phyllida Lloyd, the Dane’s adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s 1986 bestseller was acclaimed as a modern masterpiece: savage, satirical, yet lyrical, evoking both a brutal totalitarianism and private tragedy. ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ looks like it may be one of the most popular operas of our time. Productions are planned in Washington, Minneapolis and Toronto. And next week it gets its British premiere when Lloyd’s staging comes to English National Opera.”